Zhang Feng: The United States explained the latest progress of the Indo -Pacific strategy at this Asian Security Summit, while regional countries have revealed a sharp rise in anxiety about Sino -US competition.
The annual Asian Security Summit (also known as the Shangri -La Summit or incense) is a vane of security trends in the Asia -Pacific region. It is particularly important for understanding the US security policy in the Asia -Pacific security and the concept of security in the Asia -Pacific region.
As in previous years, at the 2019 Summit held from May 31st to June 2nd, US Secretary of Defense (this time is the Agency of the National Defense Minister) explained the security policy of the US government.The point of view, with the Chinese delegation led by the Minister of Defense Wei Feng and the Chinese delegation led by the National Defense, explained China's security policies, and other national officials and scholars expressed their opinions.
The United States explained the latest progress of the Indo -Pacific strategy at this summit, while regional countries have revealed a sharp rise in anxiety about competition between China and the United States.This strategic anxiety is of great significance to the evolution of regional and international security situation, because it foreshadows the formation of a new intermediate zone under the new situation in China and the United States.
Indo -Pacific Strategy in the United States
At the 2017 incense meeting, US Secretary of Defense Mattis delivered the first Asia -Pacific security policy speech of the Trump administration, reiterating the US's long -lasting commitment to the Asia -Pacific region's security and prosperity, and emphasized that this commitment is based on strategic interests and common commons.Value.His main purpose is to make strategic guarantees to countries that care about the United States in the Asia -Pacific region: the Trump administration will continue the commitment of the Asia -Pacific order in the previous American government, and will not withdraw from the Asia -Pacific region or give regional leadership rights to the regional leadership right to give it to the regional leadership powerChina.The tone of this speech is exactly the same as the tone of the Asia -Pacific re -balance strategy of the former Obama government.The Trump administration has no Asia -Pacific policy. Mattis did not use the Indo -Pacific concept, but used the traditional Asia -Pacific concept.
As for the specific measures to implement the strategic commitment to maintain the order -based order, Matisse pointed out three channels: strengthen the alliance system, carry out defense cooperation with regional countries, strengthen their national defense power, and strengthen the military strength of the United States in the Asia -Pacific region in the Asia -Pacific regionEssenceBut these three are the traditional policies of the U.S. government during the Obama period and even earlier. Mattis's verbal strategic guarantee cannot eliminate the strategic doubts of the Trump administration in the regional country to superstitious unilateralism.
In June 2018, Matisse returned to the incense lecture and explained the Indo -Pacific strategy of the Trump administration for the first time.Obviously, in the first year of the Trump administration, one of the most important changes in the US security policy is to determine the Indo -Pacific strategy as a new regional strategy.Both important documents are clearly reflected.Matisse summarized the Indo -Pacific Strategy as the deepening of the relationship between the alliance and the partnership, supporting ASEAN center, and cooperating with China in any possible situation.He pointed out the four aspects of this strategy: increase the construction of maritime forces, strengthen military collaboration with allies and partners, strengthen the rule of law and transparency of the relationship with partnerships, and promote the economic development led by the market.In terms of region, all are: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Oceania, Pacific Island countries and even the United Kingdom, France and Canada all in their vision, and there are many countries in this vast region.
U.S. Vice President Pence's speech at Papua New Guinea Asia -Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference in November 2018 is another important step for the United States to promote the Indo -Pacific strategy.This speech revealed that the Belt and Road Initiative of China and the construction of the Safety and Military Cooperation Network of Indo -Pacific region are the focus of the United States India -Pacific strategy.Pence emphasized that the United States will take the infrastructure construction of the Indo -Pacific region as a policy first. It has doubled the amount of national development aid to $ 60 billion, and set up a new financial company for Asia under the existing US overseas private investment companyEssencePence also announced that the United States will cooperate with Australia to build the Longbru Naval Base on the Island of Basanus, and set up an Increase Initiative of more than 400 million US dollars to set up an Indo -Pacific region.The US dollar cooperated with Australia and Japan to supply 70%of Pakistan's 70%of Pakistani before 2030.
It can be seen that by the end of 2018, the Indo -Pacific strategy of the United States has gradually become exposed.The goal of this strategy is to safeguard the regional dominance of the United States. The concept is to advocate the rules -based order based on the principles of freedom and opening up. The main opponent for the target is China.The relationship between regional allies and partners to strengthen its military, diplomatic, and economic existence in the region.
In the 2019 incense meeting, the US Department of Defense Changsha Nahan reiterated the basic framework of Indo -Pacific strategy, but it highlighted three points.The first is to emphasize the core position of the allies and partnership networks in the Indo -Pacific strategy of the United States; the other is to point out the Trump administration's investment in this strategy; the third is to clarify the nature of the United States and China.
Shanaha said that the US Department of Defense is undergoing a national defense modernization plan (it seems that the US military forces have been outdated). The new era of technology, partnership and trend of this modern project will be the Internet of Indo -Pacific allies and partnership networks.Bring an unprecedented opportunity.Shanaham emphasized that the new military technology that the United States is developing is extremely critical to future military threats.If regional countries want to obtain these new technologies, they need to join the United States -centered regional security network and develop joint operational capabilities with the United States.
In other words, the United States requires that countries that are as ambitious are connected with the United States in terms of security and military strategy to build a regional security network that checks and balance China.Shana is listed in Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Indonesia, Singapore, Mongolia, Taiwan, and Pacific Island countries as the core country of this network.The first five countries are traditional allies in the United States, and the rest are security partners.In the field of maritime security, the security network that the United States wants to build is not only regional, but also global.At the level of the Indo-Pacific region, Australia, Japan, and South Korea provide the north-south axis spokes of the US security network.Maritime military exercises are a progress of this security relationship), and a Indo -Pacific region connected by the United States -centered.At the global level, the United States invites France, Canada, Britain, Germany, Spain and other countries to participate in the Indo -Pacific region affairs (especially for the South China Sea and North Korea) to provide external loop support for the Indian security network in the United States.
This is another step of networking of US Asian security strategies.This network has begun since the Bush administration has begun.From the perspective of Shanahan's speech, an important feature of the Trump administration's network -based strategy is to require American allies and partners to make greater contributions, especially the contribution of resource investment to help the United States share security costs.This is exactly the same as the Trump administration's overall alliance policy.For example, in Europe, Trump has demanded many NATO allies to increase military expenses.
Shanahan is based on the principles of tolerance and sharing as this kind of regional security order centered on the United States. At the same time, it criticizes China's regional security concept to establish exclusive advantages.This discourse is very different from Chinese security discourse.China also emphasizes tolerance and shared regional security order, while criticizing the security policy of the United States to seek its own selfishness.This mirror -based cognition and mutual accusations between China and the United States may not be surprising. More critical issues are regional countries' cognition of Sino -US security policy mdash; mdash; this issue will involve the middle discussion in the middle of the discussion belowZone problem.
The Trump administration clearly understands that regional countries have not criticized India's strategic investment.Therefore, Shanaham emphasized that the Indian strategy is not a text game: This strategy is the foundation of the budget of the Ministry of National Defense and will promote the use of resources.In the economic field, he mentioned the US $ 60 billion national development aid amount approved by Congress.In the field of security, he emphasized a significant modern efforts.The national defense budget submitted to Congress 2020 will be used for research and development, which is the highest in history. At the same time, it will be used for combat preparation and maintenance projects. These investment will be concentrated in the Indo -Pacific region becauseThe U.S. military has taken this region as a priority theater.In the question and answer ringIn the festival, Shanaham pointed out that the biggest difference between the Indo -Pacific strategy and the previous Asian strategy of the US government is the support of the US Congress and the President.He believes that the fundamental resource investment of this strategy is different from the past.In the past, we had strategies, but there was no resources and funds.The support of Congress and Trump now means that the strategic resources of India will gradually be in place.
The nature of competition in the United States and China
Of course, China is the reason why the United States regards the Indo -Pacific region as a preferred theater.His regional strategy in China has a set of coercive tool boxes, including militaryization of disputed areas (that is, Nansha Island Reef), affecting other domestic affairs, plunder economic strategies, and theft of other national military technology.He clarified that US -China relations are the relationship between competition and co -coexistence.The United States is willing to cooperate with China during the intersection of interests, including the risk of controlling the dialogue between the two armies, the response to various multinational threats, the implementation of the UN sanctions resolution on North Korea, and so on.But when necessary, the United States will also compete with China.He said: Competition does not mean conflict; there is no need to be afraid of competition; as long as everyone complies with international recognition rules, we should welcome it.This is the first time that senior American officials have explained the nature of the United States and China.In the Q & A session, Shanaham believes that competition means acting in accordance with the rules, and competition should be carried out on the basis of norms and rules.Therefore, he proposed that the United States and China have established competition norms and rules through communication and cooperation. The United States and China can develop a constructive relationship and conduct constructive competition based on this.In his opinion, competition in the United States and China should be carried out on the basis of standardized, rules and communication.The comments from British Economist Magazine believe that this is a responsible competition point.
It is a major issue for the nature and form of this competition to compete with China.Shananhan put forward the preliminary understanding of the United States on this issue.Judging from his words, the US military does not think that competition is confrontation or conflict.He added that critically criticizing China, not to confront China, but to hope to have a public dialogue with China.The U.S. military hopes to carry out dialogue between the United States and China and strengthen cooperation on this basis.The purpose of dialogue and cooperation is to avoid misunderstanding and misjudgment, and US -China relations have not deteriorated to the level of fighting.He cited an example of the UN resolution strictly implementing the resolution of the DPRK as a field of US -China cooperation. He believes that China can prevent North Korea from transporting ship oil in China offshore.
New Zone
On the one hand, Shananhan's speech reiterated the strategic commitment of the United States to countries in related regions, and on the other hand, it also meant the confrontation of the US -China competition.However, from the perspective of regional countries' anxiety about the United States and China, it is very difficult to achieve this pair of goals.The speech of Shanhan is probably exacerbated rather than alleviating the strategic anxiety of regional countries.Shanahan has emphasized the importance of the alliance and partnership network system to the US India's strategy, and even proposed that joining the US security network is the prerequisite for regional countries to obtain US military technology and resources.In the context of competition in the United States and China, this is tantamount to ganging gangs, allowing these countries to choose the side stations between the United States and China.
Prior to this, in November 2018, US Vice President Pence had publicly required regional countries to make MDASH; MDash; of course, to choose the United States.To know that the United States provides a better choice, he said that we will not let our partners drowns into the sea of debt.We will not coer or damage your independence.The United States acts openly and fairly.We will not provide a binding zone or a one -way road.
On the eve of Sahanhan's speech, Singapore Prime Minister Li Xianlong delivered the keynote speech of this incense meeting.This is a politic and rational speech, which is worthy of great attention from China and the United States.The core information it wants to convey is that competition in the United States and China will affect the fish pond, forcing regional countries to make difficult strategic choices, and seriously damage the security order of the region.The first three sentences of Li Xianlong's speech opened Mingyi: Our world is at a turning point.Globalization is being trapped.The tension between US -China relations is increasing. Like everyone, our Singaporeans are worried.
When it comes to Sino -US relations, Li Xianlong hopes that China recognizes that China is now in China when China just joined the World Trade Organization in 2001; China's official position clearly supports globalization and rules -based international order, but it is important that China should be consistent. China should be consistent. China should.Abandon the economic strategy of trading and businessism, and use your own strength to restrain and reasonably use your own strength.For the United States, Li Xianlong's expectation is that the United States accepts the reality of sustainable development in China and realizes that it is impossible or wise to curb the development of China.The United States should strive to find a way to integrate China's reasonable demands into the international system in the change.This requires the United States and China MDash; MDash; and other countries MDASH; MDASH; together to cooperate to innovate and change the current international system.The United States and China need to understand each other's point of view and reconcile mutual interests, but the current fundamental problem is the lack of mutual trust in China and the United States.
Li Xianlong believes that even if the competition between China and the United States has intensified, the Cold War of the United States and the Soviet Union is impossible.One of the important reasons is the high degree of integration of China's economy and the world economy.In the Asia -Pacific region, China is the largest trading partner of all American allies and partners.The United States is an ally or friend of these countries, but China is their largest trading country.They want to be friends with both China and the United States, so I hope that China and the United States can solve different differences rather than fall in confrontation.If the New Cold War really happens, these countries will not make clear enemy friends, and it is impossible for Asian regions to have a military group like NATO or Huayo during the Cold War.
In other words, once China and the United States have intensified strategic competition, many countries will be trapped in a state of strategic wandering.They cannot make an absolute commitment to stand on the side of the United States or China, but they do not want to offend these two countries excessively. Therefore, the three minds and two will become the normal state of these countries' strategic psychology.Taking Singapore as an example, the positioning of new China relations is a comprehensive partnership with the times. At the same time, Singapore is a major security partner in the United States.When Sino -US relations are good, Singapore's policies for China and the United States are formulated from the perspective of bilateral relations between Sino -Sino -US and the United States. There is no need to consider the level of Sino -US relations.In this case, although Singapore does not need to oppose the United States or China when the national interests or values conflict, it rarely needs to oppose the two countries at the same time.However, once China and the United States' confrontation intensify, Singapore is likely to atly different degrees of support from China and the United States, or can only give China and the United States to varying degrees of support.No matter what response, China and the United States cannot be satisfied at the same time.
The new trend of this strategic swimming tour indicates that the emergence of new regions and international politics in the middle of the United States and China.The reason why it is new is because the concept of the middle area was originally proposed by Mao Zedong in the early Cold War.According to the records of Mao Zedong's diplomatic text, in August 1954, Mao Zedong mentioned in his conversation with the British Labor Party delegation visited: The United States anti -Communist Party used it as a topic to make an article to achieve their other goals.To this middle area in the UK.The United States is on the side of this middle area in North America, and the Soviet Union and China are on this side.The goal of the United States is to occupy the country where the majority of the middle areas, bully them, control their economy, and establish a military base on their territory. It is best to weaken these countries, including Japan and Germany.At this time, China was not part of the middle area.After the Sino -Soviet Union split, Mao Zedong began to include China in the middle area outside the United States and the Soviet Union.In July 1964, he pointed out that there are two middle zones: Asia, Africa, and Latin America are the first middle areas; Europe, North America, Canada, and Oceania are the second middle zone.Japan also belongs to the second middle zone.The countries in the middle area oppose the control of the United States or the Soviet Union.
However, the current new zone in the formation is that its nature is different from the nature of the middle area during the Cold War.Mao Zedong believes that the vast number of countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe belong to the middle area, which has exaggerated the strategic autonomy of these countries.In fact, although the countries in NATO and Huaye have their own dissatisfaction with the United States and the Soviet Union, these dissatisfaction belongs to the grievances within the alliance, rather than the lack of strategic consensus.But his judgment is in line with the nature of the current intermediate.The huge global alliance system constructed by the United States in the Cold War still exists, but theseIt is unknown whether friends will stand on the side of the United States when conflicting in the United States and China, and at least the attitudes of different countries will be different.Major American security partners like Singapore have made it clear that they will not choose to choose the side.How to deal with this vast new zone is a major test for the diplomacy of China and the United States.
(Note: The author is a part -time professor at the South China Sea Research Institute. This article only represents the author's personal point of view.
